Why Basic Cleaning Solutions Ruin Your Boat

After a long day on the lake with your family you pull your boat out of the water glimmering with the setting sun. As you start getting everyone out of the boat and cleaning it up, the sun catches the side of your beautiful boat, and instead of the shinning gelcoat smiling back at you, you see a faded and spotted surface grimacing toward back. Ah the dreaded waterspots! These waterspots are the very common occurrence of boating and especially if one is boating in the western portion of the United States. The waterways out west are on average harder than other bodies of water throughout the rest of the country.

These spots are also known as hard water spots. They are the same hard water spots that you might find in your home on your bathroom and kitchen fixtures. Hard water is water that as it passes through the ground, dissolves surrounding minerals from the rocks, and the more minerals found in the water the “harder” it becomes. So the question then arises; how do we get rid of those spots? There are many products out in the market that are meant to remove hard water spots, but not many of them are purposed for your boat.

The waterspots may be the same on your boat and your kitchen faucet but the surfaces couldn’t be more different. There are many solutions available to remove the waterspots from your kitchen and bathroom but these chemicals are hash, abrasive and corrosive. These standard cleaning chemicals will erode and destroy the gel coat of your boat. These cleaning chemicals are not designed to maintain the shine and structure of your boat, they are designed to remove the hard water spots at all costs. If you wouldn’t put it on the hood of your car DON’T PUT IT ON YOUR BOAT. There are several products on the market designed to remove the hard water spots from the lake. These products have varying options to prevent damage to the gel coat on your boat.